Mayor Kevin Johnson and NBA Commissioner David Stern released a joint statement today outlining an updated timeline for finalizing terms of a new arena deal for Sacramento. According to the release, the city of Sacramento and the NBA are continuing “constructive discussions” on the details of a financing plan for a new entertainment and sports complex. Johnson said at his weekly press conference Tuesday that details of a completed financing term sheet were expected to be available to the public by Thursday, in advance of a Feb. 28 City Council discussion and vote on the plan. Wednesday’s press release, however, offers an adjusted timeline in an effort to “ensure adequate time for public

As Sacramento prepares to bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympic games, having the right venues on offer – such as a new entertainment and sports complex – will be a key factor to a successful bid. Representatives from the California Winter Games Committee reported to the City Council Tuesday about progress the committee is making to join the bidding process to become a host city. The committee is a volunteer group composed of both state and local civic, business and labor leaders and is working in conjunction with a similar committee from the Lake Tahoe area. Jake Mossawir, chief financial officer for the CWGC, said the group has been polling residents, researching historical data and rev

Signature gathering began this month for a new ballot initiative aimed at allowing medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in Sacramento despite a recent ban on cannabis-related operations in the county. The “Patient Access to Regulated Medical Cannabis Act of 2012” is the product of the newly established Committee for Safe Patient Access to Regulated Cannabis (CSPARC), organized by local medical marijuana industry advocate Mickey Martin. “In December when the Board of Supervisors passed the back-door ban on medical marijuana, there were a lot of people (who felt that) what they were passing was just bad policy,” Martin said Monday. “(The policy) just doesn’t address the issue,” Marti

The June election is more than three months away, but one City Council candidate is already being accused of breaking election rules. According to the city elections code, campaign signs cannot be put up until 90 days before the election – which for the upcoming June election would be March 9. City Council District 2 candidate Allen Wayne Warren’s signs were on display in the windows of a building on the 2300 block of Del Paso Boulevard Friday afternoon. Sources say the campaign signs have been in the windows of the building since at least Jan. 20 – shortly after he officially announced his candidacy. The building is home to his campaign headquarters office. According to city spokesma

The upcoming June election is estimated to cost the city a whopping $250,000 – more than the current average price of a 3-bedroom house in Sacramento – and the November election may come with an even higher price tag. What makes an election so expensive? For starters, the number of registered voters eligible to participate in the election has an impact on the cost. According to Campaign Services Manager Brad Buyse, the county Office of Elections – the entity responsible for managing all elections in Sacramento County – uses a formula based on the most recent election and applies it to the number of registered voters to come up with a starting point. The most recent election was 2010, so